Bus-line midpoint holding circuit for high speed memory read operation

Abstract

In a memory system, sense amplifiers are connected to a memory cell array for driving a number of read bus lines according to data read from the memory cell array at periodic intervals. A number of midpoint holding circuits are associated respectively with the read bus lines. Each of the midpoint holding circuits comprises a pull-up driver and a pull-down driver connected in series between terminals of high and low voltages, a circuit node between the drivers being connected to the associated bus line, the drivers having a substantially equal threshold voltage. Control circuitry is responsive to a midpoint control pulse for causing one of the drivers to turn on depending on a voltage at the bus line, so that the conducting driver automatically turns off when the bus line attains a midpoint level between the high and low voltages during an interval when the bus line is not driven by the sense amplifiers.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A midpoint holding circuit connected to an associated read bus line of a memory, comprising: a pull-up driver and a pull-down driver connected in series between terminals of high and low voltages, a circuit node between said drivers being connected to the bus line, said drivers having a substantially equal threshold voltage; and   control circuitry responsive to a midpoint control pulse for causing one of said drivers to turn on depending on a voltage subsequently developed at said bus line, so that said one driver automatically turns off when said bus line attains a midpoint level between said high and low voltages.   
     
     
       2. A midpoint holding circuit as claimed in claim 1, wherein said control circuitry is arranged to turn on one of said drivers during mutually exclusive times depending on a voltage previously developed at said bus line. 
     
     
       3. A midpoint holding circuit as claimed in claim 2, wherein said control circuitry comprises: a switch responsive to said midpoint control pulse for establishing a path to said bus line;   a latching circuit connected to said switch for storing a voltage supplied from said bus line through the established path; and   a logic gate circuit responsive to said midpoint control pulse for turning on one of said drivers depending on the voltage stored in said latching circuit.   
     
     
       4. A midpoint holding circuit as claimed in claim 3, wherein said logic gate circuit comprises: a first coincidence circuit simultaneously responsive to a true value of the midpoint control pulse and a true value of the stored voltage of said latching circuit for driving said pull-up driver; and   a second coincidence circuit simultaneously responsive to a complementary value of the midpoint control pulse and a complementary value of the stored voltage of said latching circuit for driving said pull-down driver.   
     
     
       5. A midpoint holding circuit as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a first bipolar transistor amplifier connected between said pull-up driver and said bus line and a second bipolar transistor amplifier connected between said pull-down driver and one of said terminals. 
     
     
       6. A midpoint holding circuit as claimed in claim 5, wherein said each of said first and second bipolar transistor amplifiers comprises a Darlington amplifier. 
     
     
       7. A midpoint holding circuit as claimed in claim 1, wherein said control circuitry comprises: a first inverter having a first threshold voltage lower than said midpoint level and a second inverter having a second threshold voltage higher than said midpoint level, each of said inverters having an input connected to said bus line to change state when voltage at said bus line reaches the threshold voltage of the inverter; and   a logic gate circuit responsive to said midpoint control pulse for activating one of said drivers according to a voltage output from one of said inverters.   
     
     
       8. A midpoint holding circuit as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said pull-up driver comprises an n-channel metal oxide semiconductor transistor and said pull-down driver comprises a p-channel metal oxide semiconductor transistor, each of said transistors having a threshold voltage substantially equal to said midpoint level. 
     
     
       9. A midpoint holding circuit as claimed in claim 1, wherein said pull-up driver comprises a p-channel metal oxide semiconductor transistor and said pull-down driver comprises an n-channel metal oxide semiconductor transistor, each of said transistors having a threshold voltage substantially equal to said midpoint level. 
     
     
       10. A midpoint holding circuit as claimed in claim 1, wherein said control circuitry is arranged to simultaneously forward bias said drivers in response to said midpoint control pulse and to activate one of the forward-biased drivers according to a voltage currently developed at said bus line. 
     
     
       11. A midpoint holding circuit as claimed in claim 10, wherein said control circuitry comprises means for activating the pull-up driver with a true level of the midpoint control pulse and an inverter for activating the pull-down driver with a complementary level of the midpoint control pulse. 
     
     
       12. A midpoint holding circuit as claimed in claim 10, further comprising a first diode connected between said pull-up driver and said bus line in a forward-biasing direction of the first diode and a second diode connected between said bus line and said pull-down driver in a forward-biasing direction of the second diode. 
     
     
       13. A midpoint holding circuit as claimed in claim 10, wherein said pull-up driver comprises an n-channel metal oxide semiconductor transistor and said pull-down driver comprises a p-channel metal oxide semiconductor transistor, each of said transistors having a threshold voltage substantially equal to said midpoint level. 
     
     
       14. A memory system comprising: a plurality of sense amplifiers connected to a memory cell array for driving a plurality of read bus lines according to data read from the memory cell array at periodic intervals;   a plurality of midpoint holding circuits associated respectively with said read bus lines;   each of said midpoint holding circuits comprising: a pull-up driver and a pull-down driver connected in series between terminals of high and low voltages, a circuit node between said drivers being connected to the associated bus line, said drivers having a substantially equal threshold voltage; and   control circuitry responsive to a midpoint control pulse for causing one of said drivers to turn on depending on a voltage subsequently developed at said bus line, so that said one driver automatically turns off when said bus line attains a midpoint level between said high and low voltages during an interval when said bus line is not driven by said sense amplifiers.     
     
     
       15. A memory system as claimed in claim 14, wherein said control circuitry is arranged to turn on one of said drivers during mutually exclusive times depending on a voltage previously developed at said bus line. 
     
     
       16. A memory system as claimed in claim 15, wherein said control circuitry comprises: a switch responsive to said midpoint control pulse for establishing a path to said bus line;   a latching circuit connected to said switch for storing a voltage supplied from said bus line through the established path; and   a logic gate circuit responsive to said midpoint control pulse for turning on one of said drivers depending on the voltage stored in said latching circuit.   
     
     
       17. A memory system as claimed in claim 16, wherein said logic gate circuit comprises: a first coincidence circuit simultaneously responsive to a true value of the midpoint control pulse and a true value of the stored volt age of said latching circuit for driving said pull-up driver; and   a second coincidence circuit simultaneously responsive to a complementary value of the midpoint control pulse and a complementary value of the stored voltage of said latching circuit for driving said pull-down driver.   
     
     
       18. A memory system as claimed in claim 14, further comprising a first bipolar transistor amplifier connected between said pull-up driver and said bus line and a second bipolar transistor amplifier connected between said pull-down driver and one of said terminals. 
     
     
       19. A memory system as claimed in claim 18, wherein said each of said first and second bipolar transistor amplifiers comprises a Darlington amplifier. 
     
     
       20. A memory system as claimed in claim 14, wherein said control circuitry comprises: a first inverter having a first threshold voltage lower than said midpoint level and a second inverter having a second threshold voltage higher than said midpoint level, each of said inverters having an input connected to said bus line to change state when voltage at said bus line reaches the threshold voltage of the inverter; and   a logic gate circuit responsive to said midpoint control pulse for activating one of said drivers according to a voltage output from one of said inverters.   
     
     
       21. A memory system as claimed in claim 14, wherein said pull-up driver comprises an n-channel metal oxide semiconductor transistor and said pull-down driver comprises a p-channel metal oxide semiconductor transistor, each of said transistors having a threshold voltage substantially equal to said midpoint level. 
     
     
       22. A memory system as claimed in claim 14, wherein said pull-up driver comprises a p-channel metal oxide semiconductor transistor and said pull-down driver comprises an n-channel metal oxide semiconductor transistor, each of said transistors having a threshold voltage substantially equal to said midpoint level. 
     
     
       23. A memory system as claimed in claim 14, wherein said control circuitry is arranged to simultaneously forward bias said drivers in response to said midpoint control pulse and to activate one of the forward-biased drivers according to a voltage currently developed at said bus line. 
     
     
       24. A memory system as claimed in claim 23, wherein said control circuitry comprises means for activating the pull-up driver with a true level of the midpoint control pulse and an inverter for activating the pull-down driver with a complementary level of the midpoint control pulse. 
     
     
       25. A memory system as claimed in claim 23, further comprising a first diode connected between said pull-up driver and said bus line in a forward-biasing direction of the first diode and a second diode connected between said bus line and said pull-down driver in a forward-biasing direction of the second diode. 
     
     
       26. A memory system as claimed in claim 23, wherein said pull-up driver comprises an n-channel metal oxide semiconductor transistor and said pull-down driver comprises a p-channel metal oxide semiconductor transistor, each of said transistors having a threshold voltage substantially equal to said midpoint level.